August 14: Memorable Moments: Handling the Heat?
With temperatures outside soaring into the 90’s or 100’s most road days of this summer’s trip, the journey has turned out to be one of the most physically challenging so far. Add in the humidity and the fact I’m clothed from head to toe in heavy protective gear and the problem is exacerbated. What steps did I take to make the heat more manageable and what did I do when that wasn’t enough?
After consulting last spring with other riders who had traveled in Morocco and the Balkans during June, July, and August, I realized that it wouldn’t be realistic to thrive for over 60 days in potentially extreme heat unless I was proactive.
One of the factors I was most intentional about was the clothes that I wore. Although it might seem counterintuitive, I elected to go with all merino wool base layers – biking pants, underwear, sports bra, and tank top. This natural material breathes well, helps to regulate temperature, and can still perform when drenched in sweat. Each night I washed these items in cold water and hung them up to dry before putting them on again the next day.
Having traveled through the Nevada desert in July on a bike before, I knew how helpful a cooling vest could be. The one I had used for years was on its last legs, so I ordered three different highly rated options and went with the one that fit me the best and provided the most coverage of my torso. I soaked this item in cold water and put it on over my wool base layer before leaving in the morning and re-hydrated it in a gas station sink, lake, or river every hour or so along the way.
Although it wasn’t ideal that my motorcycle jacket and pants were black, I chose not to buy new textile gear because the setup I have fits me perfectly, would be expensive to replace, and is designed to provide excellent air circulation. When I include a separate front zipper that gives me an inch of porous mesh right down the middle of my jacket, I have a total of 11 large vents. With a breathable base layer, wet cooling vest, and lots of great ventilation through my jacket, I was able to substantially mitigate the effects of the heat.
To maintain hydration, I utilized a Mosko Moto two-liter water bladder placed inside a holder called an aux pox located on the lower right side of my soft sided luggage. The aux pox has an opening near the spout of the water bladder, making it easy for me to fill up the collapsible rubber cup I placed nearby using a lightweight carabiner.
After several days in Morocco, however, I realized that I needed to take additional precautions. My big wakeup call occurred when I arrived at a hotel in Merzouga at 3pm after more than six hours of riding in temperatures over 100 degrees for what was supposed to be a 4pm camel tour, hoping to find refuge in an air-conditioned hotel lobby before heading by dromedary to a luxury camp in the Sahara Desert.
It turned out that the hotel lobby had no air conditioning or ventilation, and the tour was delayed for several hours because it was considered too hot for the camels to travel. I removed my jacket and pants and tried to work at a table in the scorching lobby in only my bike pants and tank top. But with temperatures at 108 degrees, the sweat was running in rivulets down my back and my iphone could not even charge.
Although I made it to my air-conditioned camp in the Saraha at 9pm that night, I couldn’t fully recover after spending over 13 hours traveling through such intense heat. The next day I found myself suffering from heat exhaustion as I traveled to Ouarzazate. No matter how much I hydrated, my head hurt, and I felt hot, dizzy, nauseous, and tired.
I decided to re-group, making changes to my diet and my travel routines. I ate foods rich in salt and potassium to re-balance my electrolytes and stay hydrated. I also started leaving earlier in the day, traveling fewer hours, and exploring my destinations later in the evening. It was so much more enjoyable wandering around the picturesque towns I visited in the cool of night and even sometimes being in just the right place to watch a spectacular sunset.
